Antibacterial and coagulant potential of vegetable extracts in the alternative treatment of greywater

Abstract

The reuse of greywater (GW) from some domestic activities is considered a sustainable technique for water saving, however, GW have high turbidity and bacteriological load. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of extracts obtained from Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle in the alternative treatment of GW, aiming at reducing turbidity and bacteriological load.\xa0 For this, extracts obtained from epicarp, mesocarp, endocarp and whole fruit were prepared from three extraction methods. Posteriorly, they were applied to GW samples, being monitored the turbidity and heterotrophic bacteria at different time intervals. All extracts showed coagulant and antibacterial properties, reducing turbidity (39-88%) and heterotrophic bacteria (66-93%) after 24 hours of treatment. Thus, the evaluated extracts become an alternative for use in GW reuse systems instead of synthetic chemical agents, presenting advantages such as biodegradability, ease of access, biodegradability and low toxicity of the sludge generated.